Barrel



' Sept. 9,1930.

I BARREL Filed Dec. 21. v1927' 4 Shouts-Shut 2 Hf L. HoYT Sept. 9, 1930.

BARREL Filed D66. 21. 192'?" 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l LUI.. 22 "1.;

Patented Sept. 9, 193D- PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES lHIAZIEN L. HOYT, F GREAT NECK, NEW YORK Banani.

Application led December 21, 1927. Serial No. 841,477.

This invention relates to knockdown type of barrels and has .for its object to cheapen their construction cost.- Another object is to strengthen barrels of this type by the provision of improved reinforcing means capable of being quickly and inexpensively applied.- A further ob]ect is to provide an imlproved ,method for constructing barrels of this type especially in joining and aligning the staves, and also for facilitating the application of substantial reinforcing means.

A variety of suggestions have been offered for the construction of barrels and containers capable of being taken apart and compactly bundledfor return shipment. The problem of making a rigid construction for this purposeand the problem of providing a cheap construction have heretofore been independent and not satisfactorily reconciled in a single construction. Large scale production results in inaccuracies in fit and attachment of certain o'f thestaves which inaccuracies may become cumulative with the result that unless considerable care is exercised the con- 26 struction deviatesv from the intended' shape to the detriment of its appearance and y strength. When staves are cut by machine or hand it is very hard to make them uniform and each of the exact width and similarly dif- 80 icult to make each stavestraight and beveled in the precise manner so that inaccuraciesdo not vary the t of the group of staves about the barrel heads. It has been'suggested to nail transverse bands to 4each stave but the nailin machine operation is not dependable with t e result that the barrel must be .gone

over b hand'in order to have the staves well a apted to stay in place against coming loose in handlin y Another suggestion involves boring aA ole across the stave inter- .mediate of its faces to receive an internal re-1 inforcing'band but this was not found satisfactory'because' only at prohibitive c'ost could the necessary recision be .given the construction if istortions and preliminary', strains on the barrel were to be avoided 'and because the bored hole weakens the stave.

Accordin to this invention the staves are cut-prefere 1y from e sheet,` of wood veneer 5 and are integrally. connected to insure their Fig. 15 islnlinterior view along thelongiproper fitting and appearance. Instead of nailing on a reinforcing band such reinforcement is cut into the staves under pressure which is found to be more effective than nailing or similar securing means. Beside the transverse reinforcement, longitudinal reinforcement is rovided between each .stave to strengthen t e barrel against longitudinal thrusts on one stave from beingtransferred throu h the thin connectin veneer layer as 00 is like y to happen when th arrel is dropped on a portion of one edge.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a sheet of veneer after the staves have been cut 5 'Fig 2 is a rear view 'of the construction shown in Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is an end view of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2; v

Fig. 4. shows the partially completed bar- 7 rel with portions broken awa' F Fig is a bottom view ofy the lbarrel of ig.6 is an enlargement showing the' shape of a longitudinal slot between adjacent staves; s

Fig. 'is a view corresponding to Figi 64 'after the longitudinal reinforcing means been inserte in the' slot; Fig. 8 is a view similar sheet has been flexed; y

Fig. 9 is a portion of the lon 'tudinal reinforc'ing means shown in Figs. gland 8;

F Fig. 10 is a side vievvof the device of ig. 11 is a detail of the transverse reto Fig. 7 after the-.80.

1inforcing means before it has beenperma- -nently secured tothe staves;

Fig. 12 is a view'corresponding to Fig. 11 showing4 the reinforcing means after it has been cut intoA the staves; p

Fig. 13 is a detail of one construction for the longitudinal ed s of the end stavesof the sheet-shown inI ig. 1; e t 15 Fig. 14 is a view corresponding to Fig. 13

but withthese end staves contiguous and iii operative position;

wenn n n of Fig. n;

Fig. 16 shows a construction in which the staves' are shaped to interlock'; Fig. 17 is a view corresponding to Fig. 16

but with the stave connecting ortions bent; Fig. 18 shows another way o providmg the integral longitudinal reinforce or interlock;

Fig. 19 corresponds to Fig. 18 but with the stave connecting portions bent;

Fig. 20 is a section on the line 20a-20 of Fi s. 16 and 18; ig. 21 is a section on the line 21M-21' of Fi s. 17 and 19;

ig.' 22 is a'detail of a preferred embodiiment of this invention showing only a corner but leaving a thin portion at the base of the slot integrally connecting the staves 11. The outside 14 of the sheet 1'0 is provided with preferably two or more transverse grooves 18 to receive reinforcing bands and these grooves may be cut before or after the slots .12. A

longitudinal reinforcing. strip of metal 16 is inserted in each slot 12 as shown in Fig. 6 the slot 12 being flattened slightly at.the base an amount suiiicient to permitinsertion of the reinforcing strip. This strip 16 has a series of teeth 17 projecting from opposite faces for the purpose of cutting into the slot walls or staves when the sheet is iiexed in bending and securing the same about the barrel head 15. The teeth 17 are shown as being stamped out of the stri s 16 although it will be understood that vs arpened projections may be formed in other ways; i

Prior to exing the sheet 10v reinforcing bands 19 are inserted in the grooves 1 8 by first transversely bending the band 19 and inserting the same in the groove 18, the groove gein narrower than the band so that the an roove after the manner shown'in Fig. 11. pplication of a rolling pressure along the band 19 will cause the edges of this band to spread and cut into the groove walls as shown in Fi 12. Reinforcing bands 19 are preferably inserted' while the sheet is at although,

' of course, they may be applied afterthe sheet has been iexed around one of the heads 15. Inasmuch as these reinforcing bands. 19 are not designed to be under the tension of ordinary barrel hoop?, no nailing or additional securing means etween each stave and the band is necessary except at the end staves of the sheet, but each band is under somewhat of an initial tension. This serves to prevent will be arched above the bottom of the the -fibrous Vc onnection betweenr staves from i separating while-the sheet is fiat and the band reinforces and also safeguards this same bands 19 are not thought sufficient by themselves to protect the barrel against longif ltudinal stave displacement under end thrust since with'the grain extendin longitudinal- I ly of the staves the ed es of t e band would tend to split the Woodi cut in too deep under heavy pressure. An additional longitudinal reinforcing means is therefore required either inthe form of a separate strip 16 or integrally when the stave edges are shaped lto interlock as shown in Figs.. 16 to 19 inclusive.

The side edges of the end staves are preferably notched deep enough to prevent relative longitudinal displacement.

`As shown in Figs. 1 and`13 to 15 the edges of the end staves are notched at 2l to receive the complementary or unnotched edge por.- tions 20. kWhile the drawing shows these notches as being relatively shallow so that the outer longitudinal edge issubstantially straight, nevertheless muchy deepernotches may be cut causing'su'ch to extend into the t outer edge of the staves.

By way of illustration a sheet of-wood veneer is cut to have a thickness of about threeeighths of an inch, the grain being substantially parallel to the staves or slots 12. The slots 12and the transverse grooves 13 and 18 are preferably machine cut. Grooves 13 of any desired cross-section will provide a bet ter it'if deeper in the center of each stave andshaped to the periphery of the heads 15. This 'maybedone for example by means of a rotary cutter 'of substantially thesame diameter as the heads, the cutter being moved toward and from the longitudinal center of each stave to give the grooves 13 their curved shape or in the usual manner by a crozer malchine. After aixing the reinforcing bands v19 and inserting the reinforcin exed about a head 15 ofthe barrel in a manner to substantially close the slots on the reinforcing strips 16, and, securing me-ans such as hoops are than applied to hold the sheet in flexed condition. l Any means may adjustably retain the hoops 22 under the necessary tension. As shown in j Fig. 4 a hoop is placed lover the barrel adjacent each head 1 5, the top hoop being placed on the barrel after the head has been mserted. There will be sufficient yield to the construction shown in Fig. 4to permit the cover to be placed in the groove 13. To increase yield adjacent groove 13 the flexed integral stave connecting portion may be slit by a narrow cutter from the ends to slightly inward of the grooves 13.

Instead of the separate reinforcing means suitable-.form of securing forcing means as shown in Figs. 16 to 19 10' t clined toneach otherat the same angle as tially vertical to a position in which the opp inclusive. In Fig. 16 it will be seen that the slot 12. between each stave is out as illustrated -to provide interittingportion-sv or a l.

series of recesses and rojectitn'is. "As 'shown in Fig. 20 this slot 12 1s substantially straight at its base but the sides of the slot whi'le inshown in Fi 6 are both moved from a position in whic one side of the' slot is substan- 0- site side of the slot is vertical. This shaped slot may be cut by oscillating the cutter axis a limited amount in a substantially vertical plane. Fig. 17 corresponds lto Fig. 16 but with the stave connecting ortions iexed and the slots closed. Here as efore the slots are shaped so as to limit the de ree of iiexure about the fibrous connection etween staves at the base of the slots whenever necessary although the heads may limit such flexure.

Instead of having the slots cut inthe shape shownl in Fig. 16 they may be cut as illustrated in Figs. 18 and 19 bylirst cutting a narrow slot the width of the base and then .chiseling one side of the narrow slot to pro- 19 shows the slots of ig. 18 in substantially closed position with the sheet flexed. Figs.

16 and 17 show the preferred construction because it'is cheaper to get the projections to snugly interlock for the transmission of longitudinal thrusts without the expense and precision necessary in accurately forming the interlocking projections of Figs. 18 and 19 when the staves are connected in the manner illustrated. Unless the interlocking projecyr tions snugly it to transmitlongitudinal thrusts without movement of a stave there is danger that the thin flexed connecting layer of veneer will take a substantial portion of such thrust): In other Words, the constructions of Figs. 16 and/"17 are better adapted to safeguard the flexed veneer connections between staves against longitudinal thrusts than is the construction of Figs. 18 and 19 without high cost for precision, although the construction of Figs. 18 and 19 may be satisfactory when the staves 'are not connected by the iiexed veneer layer but are only connected through the bands 19. Fig. 21 is a view on f the line 21*-21a of either of Figs. 1'(4 or 19 Y or both.

to reinforce the sheet2 but inFi 22 the sheet reinforcement is obtained both rom the outer having its grain running around the bar- I I substantially sinusoidal appearanceY of Fig.

16 when the `sheetds flexed except that in these gares theWaYe. length is Somewhat Shgrt-er tributes to the rigid and durable construc.`

tion. The bands 19 are desirable where the sheet is to be flattened out after use for reshipment. In taking downthe barrel for reshipment the consumer will find it desirable to leave the reinforcin strips 16 withinthe slots 12 and secured to t e-edge of one stave and detached from the opposite` edge of the adjacent stave, althoughif desired these strips may be taken out and separately reshipped.

If 1n taking down the barrels and flattening out the sheets 10 thesesheets are stacked there will besmall likelihood of the reinforcing strips' bein slipped out of the ends of the slots.-` In t e modification of Figs. 16 to 21 no separate strips 16 are necessary. While the barrels of this invention may be constructed of a variety of woods it isdesirable to make them of the harder woods like birch, maple, or fpreferably beech. Instead of being formed o a single thickness of veneerythe sheet may be built up of several thicknesses held together in the customary way for plywoods. In this last case the grain on the outside ofthe barrel is preferably transverse of the .staves while that inside 1s longitudinallythereof as in, Fig. 1. Multi-ply con-` structions permit larger and stronger barrels tobe made. The outer ply may be considerably thinner than the inner and with its grain transverse of the staves may serve as a reinforce in place of the bands 19. Unlike most of the previousknock-down barrel construc-l tions this invention is well adapted to hold liquids by use of packing between the abutting staves at the ends of the sheet.

I claim 1. sheet of material provided with scoring to localize hin e-like fiexure, said scoring being so shape as to limit the degree of the locallzed ilexure and at the same time so shaped as to reinforce the flexed sheet against thrusts longitudinally ofthe scoring.

2. A sheet of material having a pluralit v of V-shaped slots when the sheet is not flexe said slots being of less de th than the sheet in some portions thereof an forming staves, the axes of said slots which project from the sheet being inclined at gradually different miI an les between each pair of staves to longitu inally reinforce the staves when the slots are substantially closed.

3. A barrel comprisin staves having their inner edges bevelled an substantially sinusoidally serrated and their outer edges of different shape.

4. A container having bevelled staves of fibrous material provided along their inner vedges with interlocking and interlittingprojections having surfaces which are inclined to the longitudinal stave axis and which are adapted to transmit longitudinal thrusts `with a wedging action, the outer stave edges being -of different shape from the inner stave edges.

5. A container having bevelled staves connected by flexed stave material, said staves being shaped to limit the hin e-like flexure of the ilexed stave material an being shaped 20 along their inner ed es to provide interlocking projections having surfaces longitudinally inclined for the transmission of end ,thrusts between staves.

6. lA sheet of material sha ed to constitute 25 f the sides of a. container an provided `with .slots on the inside extending entirely across the sheet forming lat staves integrally connected at the base of saidslots, the inner longitudinal stave edges being longitudinally in- 30 -clined and forming interlocking projections,

the sides of said slotsbein ,disposed at an angle to close the slots on t e inside of the sheetwheniexed and the sides of said slots being spaced at the base of each slot.

. 'Q5 7. A container having bevelled staves connected along lat least a. substantial ortion 'of their longitudinal edges by Hexe stave :.material, said staves being so aha d @as to Ylimit exure and provide, along t eir inner o Vlongitudinal edges interlocking projections of stave material constructed orth'e direct transmission of a substantialportion of any end thrustbetween staves to lessen the trans- 'ssion of such thrusts through the flexed 5 connection. A p HAZEN L. HOYT. 

